Palandu
Allium cepa
Palandu (Allium cepa) is a plant drug, from the Amaryllidaceae family. Cooking reduces quercetin content by 20-30% but may improve digestibility.
| Botanical name | Allium cepa |
|---|---|
| Family | Amaryllidaceae · other entries in this family |
| Order | Asparagales |
| Taxon identifiers | GBIF 2857697 · Wikidata Q20875685 · NCBI Taxonomy 4679 |
The evidence at a glance
12papers on this site for this drug, published 1993 to 2024, every one with a DOI.
- 1Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- 7Other clinical studies and reviews
- 4Laboratory and animal studies
A count is not a conclusion and a tier is a study design, not a verdict. Each paper is listed with what it measured on the page below. See the research index for how papers are tiered.
Names and identification
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| English | Onion |
Ayurvedic pharmacology (Dravyaguna)
| Property | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rasa (Taste) | Madhura, Katu | Primary taste |
| Guna (Quality) | Guru, Snigdha | Physical quality |
| Virya (Potency) | Ushna | Heating/Cooling effect |
| Vipaka (Post-digestive) | Madhura | Post-digestive effect |
Dosage forms and preparation
Dosage Forms: Fresh juice (Swarasa), Capsule, Tablet, Soft gel (oil extract), Powder (dehydrated), Syrup, Ear drops, Poultice
Standard Dosage: 5-15 mL fresh onion juice daily; 500-1000 mg dried onion extract daily; 1-3 g dehydrated onion powder daily
Optimal Timing: Fresh juice: morning on empty stomach or with meals. Supplements: with meals to reduce GI irritation and improve quercetin absorption with dietary fat. Ear drops: as directed by practitioner.
Storage: Fresh onion juice: refrigerated 2-8 deg C, use immediately. Dried forms: below 25 deg C, RH <40%, moisture-barrier packaging. Protect from light (quercetin photodegradation). Enteric-coated products in blister packs to prevent moisture ingress.
Marker Compounds: Quercetin, Quercetin-4’-glucoside, Quercetin-3,4’-diglucoside, Kaempferol, Isorhamnetin
Synergistic Combinations
Published research
Literature indexed in PubMed that concerns this subject, grouped by study type. A paper appearing here is a record of what has been published, not evidence that the subject works, and laboratory or animal results do not transfer to people. Study titles link to PubMed so you can read the source rather than take our word.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses1
- 2019. Traditional and modern uses of onion bulb (Allium cepa L.): a systematic reviewCritical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID 30040448 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1499074
Other clinical studies and reviews7
- 2023. Conservation and Global Distribution of Onion (Allium cepa L.) Germplasm for Agricultural SustainabilityPlants (Basel, Switzerland). PMID 37765458 · doi:10.3390/plants12183294
- 2022. Allium cepa: A Treasure of Bioactive Phytochemicals with Prospective Health BenefitsEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM. PMID 35087593 · doi:10.1155/2022/4586318
- 2021. Pharmacological Properties of Allium cepa, Preclinical and Clinical Evidences; A ReviewIranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR. PMID 34567150 · doi:10.22037/ijpr.2020.112781.13946
- 2021. Onion (Allium cepa) and its Main Constituents as Antidotes or Protective Agents against Natural or Chemical Toxicities: A Comprehensive ReviewIranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR. PMID 34400937 · doi:10.22037/ijpr.2020.112773.13940
- 2021. The effects of Allium cepa L. (onion) and its active constituents on metabolic syndrome: A reviewIranian journal of basic medical sciences. PMID 33643564 · doi:10.22038/ijbms.2020.46956.10843
- 2016. Economical and environmentally-friendly approaches for usage of onion (Allium cepa L.) wasteFood & function. PMID 27457732 · doi:10.1039/c6fo00251j
- 2015. Onion: nature protection against physiological threatsCritical reviews in food science and nutrition. PMID 24915405 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2011.646364
Laboratory and animal studies4
- 2024. Purification and Characterization of α-Mannosidase from Onion, Allium cepaJournal of applied glycoscience. PMID 38799414 · doi:10.5458/jag.jag.JAG-2023_0010
- 2023. Antimicrobial Efficacy of Allium cepa and Zingiber officinale Against the Milk-Borne Pathogen Listeria monocytogenesJournal of microbiology (Seoul, Korea). PMID 38048022 · doi:10.1007/s12275-023-00086-w
- 2023. Prospecting toxicity of octocrylene in Allium cepa L. and Eisenia fetida SavEnvironmental science and pollution research international. PMID 36053420 · doi:10.1007/s11356-022-22795-2
- 1993. Interspecific hybrid between Allium cepa and Allium sativumTAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik. PMID 24196147 · doi:10.1007/BF00215036
Reviewed by Dr. Awadesh Pratap Singh, BAMS, on 11 October 2026. What that review covered.
Consult a qualified vaidya before acting on anything here. Ayurvedic practice is prescribed to a person, not to a condition: the same dravya is given, withheld or substituted depending on your constitution, your agni, the season and what else you are already taking. A page cannot know any of that. Self-prescribing from a reference is how the wrong preparation, the wrong dose or the wrong anupana gets used.
Educational reference only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to take anything. Traditional uses and research findings are reported as published, not as claims about what any product does. If you take prescribed medication, raise any interaction with the prescriber rather than acting on a page. See our editorial standards.